Bars and Restaurants

• Ramada Hotel Roof Top Garden Osaka • Mukashi Banashi Urawa • Perrier Jouet Seoul • Pastaccio Seoul

Our Ethos

The WFP is an architectural services company that employs highly qualified and motivated individuals that deliver for the client. Each member of the partnership has evolved professional skills that are tailored to the client’s requests and needs. Whether it is interior design, project management, construction management or 3D visualization, the WFP guarantees customer satisfaction.

Our breadth of experience and knowledge of the Japanese market gives the client confidence that we can deliver. We are experienced in working with foreign architectural firms tasked with branding and rolling out stores in Japan. Our CM and PM expertise blended with the western understanding separates us from our competitors. We work for the client as an advocate placing their needs above all others.

As a design company we have always striven to incorporate the principles of PM into the design process whenever possible. Our feeling is that this sort of process creates a better project for the client and actually maximizes the budget by smoothing out the lines of communication between the client, contractor and us as the designer and project manager. Rolling projects into a design/build framework allows the customer to have quicker turn around thereby saving money.

We have also never focused on one type of design. It is our opinion that limitations on creative process produces negative results. We also believe that clients often have valuable insight as to what they want. Our role as the steward of a project is to deliver a design that gives the client this but also what they need. Our design skills are anything from restaurants and bars to offices and retail stores.

The TeamEdwin Henry Folk IV - Managing Partner Edwin H. Folk started the WFP in 2006 with only one goal: providing clients with the best architectural services in the Japan market. Edwin has spent the last 18 years in Japan working and has over 25 years of international PM, CM and design experience. He has a sense of materials and detail that have been refined over time. As a designer with a background in PM and CM gives him the ability to deliver on time and on budget complex projects. Edwin has done PM for some of the largest foreign companies in Japan with a high degree of satisfaction. Being both bilingual and bicultural Edwin knows the Japanese market and how to measure the expectations of the client and deliver on time and budget.

Ivan Pazos - Senior Project Architect Ivan Pazos has almost 20 years of international experience in some of the most prestigious design firms. The experience as a senior architect and team leader at SOM has given Ivan the ability to not only create cutting edge designs around the world but also deliver according to the needs of a specific project. Most recently Ivan has worked as a senior architect for Nihon Seikkei in the international division where he worked on large and medium scale civic, commercial and hospitality projects. Ivan is qualified as a licensed architect in both the United States and Spain.

Ikuko Ota - Project Architect Ikuko Ota is a first class registered architect in Japan. With over 15 years experience working with some of the best know companies and designers in Japan she offers not only the skills of an architect but the innate knowledge of Japanese PM . Ikuko has a strong foundation in interior architecture and a strong sense of material usage and spatial coordination. Ms. Ota has also been instrumental in working with Japanese construction companies in both CM and PM roles in order to bring projects in on time and on budget.

Ryota Naruhashi - Project Manager Ryota Naruhashi is a bilingual second class registered architect in Japan. He has over 10 years experience working as both a designer and project manager on a variety of projects ranging from new residential construction to light commercial and health care. Ryota was a central PM doing vendor bid analysis and procurement for the 22 million USD P&G corporate relocation in Kobe in 2016.

Miwa Yokotani Miwa Yokotani is a multilingual second class architect in Japan. Miwa has over 25 years of practical experience in interior design firms in Tokyo. She is particularly knowledgeable regarding the technical and government requirements for particular projects. Her experience is vast and includes hospitality, interior offices, restaurants and residential towers among other others.

David Hall David studied at architecture the University of Western Australia, The National University of Singapore and Kobe University before working in Ban Shigeru’s office in Tokyo. While at Ban’s office he worked on a variety of projects including the facade design for the Chanel

Ramada Hotel

The objective of this project was to change the image of a traditional Japanese summer beer garden into an elegant dining experience. Located on the roof of the Ramada Hotel in the Kita-Umeda district of Osaka this project achieved the initial goals of increasing patronage and profits while at the same time altering the image of the Japanese beer garden.

The design focuses the patrons on the nightly entertainment. Synthetic rattan furniture imported from Indonesia enhances the customer experience and ambiance in an elegant and stylish manner. The spatial plan increased the available seating by over 220 percent. Revenues have increased by over 250 percent.

Osaka, Japan 1,000 m² ¥18,500,000

Mukashi Banashi

Located on the third floor in front of the Fushimino train station in Saitama, this project involved two parts: a Japanese pub and the ‘Big Wave’ karaoke box. The pub, was designed to reflect the early Showa period of Japan. Period pieces of graphic art and original artwork were used for decor. The program requirements for this project were complex. Since there was single owner for both venues, there was a desire to get the most of a limited space. Programmatically, this was achieved by creating a shared kitchen. In doing this the owner was able to meet the goals of providing food service for both venues at the same time. The design created a way for maximizing the revenue stream given the limited allowable space.

Urawa, Japan 180 m² ¥25,000,000

Perrier Jouet Lounge

This project is located in the Paradise City Casino and Hotel at Incheon Airport in Korea. French champagne maker Perrier Jouet wanted to create a high end, international lounge that captured the essence of champagne. The effervesce of champagne is in the details and the flow of the space is intoxicating. It is a space that reflects the upscale clientele.

Seoul, Korea 300 m² $300,000

Pastaccio

This is an authentic Italian restaurant located in Seoul. Unlike many other Italian eateries in Asian countries the owner and mangers are straight from Italy. Ivan Pazos worked closely with the owners to create a trendy place to eat ‘real’ Italian food. It is a truly continental dining experience.

Seoul, Korea 300 m² $100,000